Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Penang On 3.7.2015.

By Acting Against “The Edge”, Is Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Trying To Lift The Depression Of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Over Negative Perception After The Expose of The RM42 Billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s(1MDB) Financial Scandal?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak made an unusual admission that he is depressed because he is an easy target and BN lost votes due to what he described as inaccurate media reports about the RM42 billion 1MDB financial scandal. By acting against “The Edge”, is Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi trying to lift the depression of Datuk Seri Najib over negative perception after the expose of the RM42 billion 1MDB financial scandal?

Instead of persecuting “The Edge” for exposing these financial scandals, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should display the same enthusiasm and earnestness in acting against those responsible for the RM42 billion 1 MDB financial scandal. The Edge was issued with a show-cause letter 2 days ago by the Home Ministry, giving them seven days to explain why action should not be taken under the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 for “publishing what is vaguely described as wrong articles about 1MDB”.

What is shocking is that instead of specifying clearly which offending article in The Edge required such a show-cause letter, or detailing how The Edge had done wrong, Ahmad flippantly replied that The Edge should know for themselves which of their articles have been deemed wrong by the Home Ministry. This is a most irresponsible attitude of the Home Minister which tantamount to a breach of public trust and betrayal of the concept of rule of law which he as Minister is duty-bound to uphold.

By not being neutral and independent is a breach of public trust when such a wide definition of wrongful acts can also cover false reports by the UMNO-controlled media such as New Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian, which publish lies and false articles about the Penang state government, especially blaming Penang state government for issues that originated from the previous BN state government before 2008. Clearly such double-standards confirms suspicions that Ahmad Zahid is abusing his power as a Minister to pursue narrow political interests and perhaps lift the depression of his Prime Minister following the expose of the 1MDB financial scandal.

Such double-standards and selective prosecution is compounded by violating and betraying the principle basis of rule of law that offences committed must be clearly specified. How can The Edge knows what false reporting it has committed or what it has done wrong when no articles about 1MDB affairs are specified? Ahmad Zahid’s reply that “Whoever eats chillies will feel the heat, there is no need for them to ask us which articles involved matters which are not true,” merely confirms that he ridicules such critically important issues of rule of law as a joke, and is clearly unqualified for high office of a Minister.

DAP condemns the latest persecution of “The Edge” by the Home Ministry. Trying to shut up media groups exposing corruption no longer works in this modern age of internet and social media. Such persecution will not lift Datuk Seri Najib out of his depression because it will only enhance public perception that the Prime Minister has something to hide.